This sweet corn salad is really a chaat in salad’s clothing — warm, butter-tossed corn folded with crunchy onion, tomato and cucumber, a squeeze of lemon and a good shake of chaat masala. It takes fifteen minutes, most of it waiting for the corn to boil, and it sits just as happily next to a full meal as it does in a bowl on its own at teatime. Make it in summer with fresh corn on the cob and it is better still.
Ingredients
Method
- Boil the corn: bring a pot of water to the boil with a pinch of salt, add the kernels and cook for 4 to 5 minutes (2 to 3 for frozen) until just tender. Drain well — extra water will dilute the dressing.
- While the corn is still warm, toss it with the butter so every kernel glistens. Warm corn absorbs the spices far better than cold.
- Add the chaat masala, roasted cumin, black pepper and salt to the warm corn and mix through.
- Fold in the onion, tomato, cucumber, capsicum, green chilli and coriander.
- Pour over the lemon juice, toss once more and taste — adjust salt, lemon and chaat masala to your liking.
- Serve immediately, while the corn is still faintly warm and the vegetables are crisp. If you must wait, keep the lemon juice out and add it at the last minute.
Notes
Deseeding the tomato is a small step that keeps the salad from turning watery as it stands.
For a creamy version, fold in 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise or thick curd with the dressing — closer to the mall-style corn chaat cups.
Fresh corn on the cob: boil the whole cob, then run a knife down the sides to strip the kernels.
Leftovers keep a day in the fridge, but the onion sharpens and the crunch fades — this one is best made fresh.